1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rack component. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display device/storage rack component.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for storage rack components have been provided in the prior art that wilt be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,382 to Braun et al. teaches an improved molded plastic display package. The package includes a first elongated member having an I-beam type cross section and a second U-shaped member that is slidable onto and off of the first member and which includes releasable latch means for engagement with a portion of the first member. Terminal means are provided for mounting and displaying an article of jewelry, for example, with the aid of an elastic extension. The present invention requires a relatively shallow mold.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. 3,655,065 to Yellin teaches a knockdown cube member formed of a plastic material. The member includes a top member and a bottom member each integrally formed and being of identical construction and a pair of side members being of identical construction, so that the top, bottom and side member may be readily assembled to form a cube. The cube may be used either individually or to form a module which is readily connected to other similar cubes.
STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,116 to Wolf et al. teaches a holder for both boxed and unboxed magnetic tape cassettes. The holder is formed as a rack with shelves sloping down and rearwardly for supporting the ends of the boxed cassettes. The shelves are cut away to define nesting recesses to hold the smaller unboxed cassettes with the fronts thereof in the same vertical plane as the fronts of the boxed cassettes.
YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,572 to Sussman teaches a display stand for holding an advertisement or other notice in sheet form in an upright position on a counter or desk. The stand is constituted by a pair of complementary pieces each formed by a transparent panel having a right-angle ledge extending from its lower end so that when the two panels are brought together to sandwich a display sheet therebetween, the a ledges which extend in opposite directions then define a base to support the panels in an upright position. Each panel, just above the junction of its lower end and ledge, is provided with interlocking elements in the form of a rectangular slot and a companion tongue which projects in a direction opposite to the ledge direction. When the panels are brought together, the tongue of one fits neatly into the slot of the other. Each tongue has an edge notch therein making it possible to slide one panel relative to the other to a position at which the panels are then coincident with each other and are interlocked.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,802 to Field teaches a display device that uses a generally transparent cardholder member that is detachably mounted to a base member. The cardholder member is formed of a pair of plates maintained in a spaced coplanar orientation by plural pin and hole assemblies. A ledge is provided adjacent the lower edge of each of the plates that is adapted to support a display card thereon while the plural pin and hole assemblies additionally provide an auxiliary support surface adapted to mounted supplemental header cards.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,292 to Sacherman et al. teaches an apparatus capable of storing or displaying a plurality of compact discs, cassettes or other similar objects. The apparatus includes a housing and a plurality of pivotable members rotatably positioned therein. Each pivotable member may hold one or more objects, each object being positioned within a compartment in the pivotable member. In one embodiment, each pivotable member includes a base plate, a rear wall, a pair of side walls, and a pair of members which together form a front wall. The front wall members cooperate with the rear wall, which may include clamping ribs, to provide a clamping force which substantially fixedly positions the compact discs within the pivotable member so that the display rack may be positioned throughout a range extending from substantially horizontal to substantially vertical. The clamping force may be adjusted by varying the dimensions and geometry of a slot associated with the clamping means.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,150 to Spengler teaches a modular storage rack constructed of a plastic resin and will not corrode or rust. The storage rack is easily assembled and disassembled as it uses only a friction fit to retain the structural elements in position.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,927 to Bell teaches a display case designed to show small objects which are suitable for card mounting. The case has a transparent conduit with a closed end and an open end. Cards on which jewelry or other merchandise is mounted are inserted into the conduit through the open end. In one preferred embodiment a clip having a slot is employed to hold the cards. In another preferred embodiment a second spaced apart slot is provided for insertion of a second set of cards which doubles the display capacity. Support for the card array is provided in one embodiment by one or more protrusions extend into the tube on which the card array rests. These protrusions extend into the tube and provide maximum distance to the wall of the tube which is less than the width of the card array. The protrusions provide support for the vertical array of cards and can be indentations in the wall of the tube. In another embodiment of the invention a rod passing through the wall of the tube is employed as the support for the vertical array of cards. Lockable caps are preferably employed to hold the rod in position. A hanger is provided which attaches to the closed end of the conduit to allow the display case to be hung eliminating the need for counter space. It is preferred that the hanger is rotatably mounted so that the display case can be rotated.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,702 to Maloney teaches a transportable rack for handling bakery goods such as bread which is made of moldable plastic. The rack has a base trolley on which are mounted modular stackable shelf units having longitudinally extending parallel side rails adapted to hold bakery goods for transport and separating members outboard each shelf unit which provide vertical separation between the shelves and transmit the weight of the shelf and its contents downward so that each shelf is light. The separating members form a vertical load-bearing and bracing column on each side of the rack.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,983 to Hardy teaches a modular storage rack for CD jewel boxes, or the like. The rack comprises individual tray units that are stackable vertically and connectable laterally. The tray itself has no moving parts but only a ribbon spring which acts to both secure the jewel box when inserted and eject the same when retrieval is desired. Release of the jewel box is obtained by inward pressure against the spring and rotation of the box about a fulcrum on one of the tray walls, permitting the spring to urge the box out of the tray.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,751 to Wipper teaches a package for the retail display of a compact disc that includes a base hingedly connected to the cover of a conventional jewel box, and a tray in which the disc is removably stored by a circular array of flexible fingers. A narrow slot is formed in the elevated portion which extends along its entire length.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,907 to Franchere et al. teaches racks or tray arrays for use in clinical laboratories, in particular, to support tubes and other containers holding body fluid specimens. The invention allows the user to "build" racks or arrays of larger and/or smaller capacity, depending upon the user's requirements, by rapid snapping together of a plurality of identical modular tube units. The racks or units may have a variety of size openings for accommodating different size specimen containers, and containers of different configuration. Thus, the user can maintain stable support of a great many containers simultaneously for handling in the laboratory, thus avoiding the danger of dropping or spilling specimens. The arrangements of the invention may be comprised of reusable, autoclavable moldable plastic materials, or less expensive throw away moldable materials. The individual components making up the tube rack array may be of a variety of geometric configurations.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,918 to Dobias et al. teaches an unitary sheet storage container for a compact disc. The container has a disc holder panel that enables the insertion of a compact disc down into the disc holder panel which holds the disc at four points on its outer periphery.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,925 to Newmark teaches a display for organizing cases of compact discs which allows viewing of a part of only the front face of the package.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,577 to Minter teaches an upwardly opening tray for storing compact disc packages. Cooperatively interactive guide formations are defined by the tray and the disc holders.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,756 to Rehrig teaches walls of shopping cart baskets, advertising panels which include a plate element and a frame element which fits on the plate element and is releasibly held in place thereon by a tab-and-slot arrangement. When held in place, a slot and a card display area which is encircled by the frame element are formed between the plate and frame elements. An advertisement display card can then be easily slid into and out of the display area through this slot. Projections on at least one of the elements keep the card from falling out of place when in the area. Retrofitted and molded-in panel versions are disclosed. Plate elements of the retrofitted version can be secured together on the inside and outside of the basket wall providing inwardly and outwardly disposed display areas. The molded-in panel has its plate element molded with anti-recesses in from the outer surface of a wall of the plastic cart basket, and thus when positioned centrally on a basket side wall with the frame element held thereon, the panel does not prevent the carts from nesting. The frame element of the molded-in version, however, is preferably identical to that of the retrofitted version and is also releasibly retained in position using tabs and slots. The frame anti-plate elements are both symmetrical about their longitudinal axes.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,417 to Chen teaches a combination lighting fixture and rack. The combination includes a lamp installed on a top portion of a rack having a plurality of ribs juxtapositionally disposed on a right and a left side portion of a central column of the rack for inserting a plurality of compact disks (CDs) or cassette tapes on the ribs of the rack, and a lamp shade mounted on the lamp, whereby upon powering of the lamp to create a thermosyphon for drafting air streams around the lamp for ventilating the disks or tapes held on the rack for preventing mildew of the disks and tapes for a hygienic purpose besides an illumination purpose of the lamp.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,913 to Merrick teaches a storage holder for computer disks, CDs, records, tape cassettes and the like that is formed of a single unitary piece of molded plastic. The holder itself has a rectangular main body. A projecting shelf is located adjacent the bottom of the main body, with a pair of spaced-apart resilient fingers biased inwardly toward the main body member. First and second guides, in the form of raised ribs, pins or flanges, extend along at least a portion of each of the sides of the storage holder, so that when a relatively thin flat object, such as a computer disk, CD or the like, is placed in the storage holder, the resilient fingers bias it against the main body. The shelf at the bottom supports the bottom of the object being stored, and the ribs along the sides provide lateral support. An object, such as a computer disk, CD or the like, readily may be inserted into the storage holder and removed therefrom. A provision is made at the bottom of the storage holder for facilitating pivotal mounting of the storage holder in a container, along with other storage holders.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,873 to Vogler teaches a unitary injection-molded plastic holder frame for displaying an advertising placard or the like. The frame has four frame sides connected at their ends into a rectangle, a contiguous trio of the sides having generally coplanar mutually directed shallow channels therein for receiving the side margins along three sides of the placard with the remaining frame side being slotted along its length to separate that side into two parallel frame strip. The slot is in coplanar relation to the shallow channels and communicates at its ends with the corresponding ends of the channels in two opposite frame sides whereby the placard can be inserted via the slot into the frame with the margins of its three sides orotruding into the channels. Detent means is provided for positively retaining the placard in its inserted position within the frame, in the form of at least one nib carried on an inner face of at least one of the frame strips projecting toward the opposite strip substantially into contact with the inner face of the opposite strip face and preventing the accidental passage of the placard through the slot. Preferably, each nib has an inclined edge extending from a point adjacent the inner side of the frame strip to a point adjacent its outer side and sloping in the direction from the inner to the outer side toward the opposite frame strip. The inclined edge facilitates the intentional passage of the placard past the nibs for removal from the frame.
FINALLY, YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,398 to Lin teaches a CD storage rack and lamp assembly that includes a base, a base covering covered on the base, four sets of connecting rods respectively connected in series by connectors, a lamp stand connected to the base and the base covering by the connecting rods, a plurality of telescopic arms connected between the lamp holder and the lamp stand, and a plurality of CD carrier plates fastened to the connecting rods at different elevations between the lamp stand and the base covering.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for storage rack components have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.